Four Queens
by Malise Adair
Summary: Kai has vowed to dedicate his life to serving Saya and protecting her from Diva. But can he allow Saya to kill her sister when he finds out that Diva is pregnant with Riku's children? More importantly, can he stop her?


**Dislcaimer: **I do not own Blood, Blood: The Last Vampire, or any of its characters.

Chapter One

Kai scowled as he moved behind the stage, although if his expression was seen in the shadowy darkness of the outdoors at this time of night, it wasn't commented on. Diva and her chevaliers, like most others who had seen Kai before, knew that a scowl wasn't the most unusual expression seen on his face. But whereas his family tried to help cheer him up or even ignored it when they knew they couldn't do anything to help, the present company he was in disregarded his anger because they simply didn't care.

He was being escorted behind the outdoor theatre, where he could see the glow from the floodlights and hear people's horrified screams and the roar of Chiropterans around the great wooden structure that served as his enemy's stage. The girl in question was walking in front of him, if walking could describe the way she was moving. Flouncing was a better word for it, flouncing with a smug expression on her face that revealed the fact that she wasn't quite the innocent little girl she appeared to be. She was now looking, and acting, everything that her given name implied: Diva.

Kai was stopped short as Diva turned around to face him and smiled, leaning forward with an expression that might have been mistaken for pleasant if he hadn't been very aware of the malicious glint in her eye. He was only with her in the first place because she had sent her chevaliers to seize him against his will. She had been uncommonly amiable to him tonight and had even claimed to be singing for him, something that had given Kai a sick, unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach and had sent his defenses flying up, as if they weren't high enough already. Diva's song was now turning all of the audience members with the D-base into bloodthirsty Chiropterans who were overturning the grounds and killing people by the clawful. And he was stuck back here with _her_, helpless to do anything but listen to the agonized screams through the wooden wall.

"Listen, Kai. We have a very special day coming up and I want you to be by my side. So how about becoming my chevalier?"

Kai's brain short-circuited as Diva spoke.

"What?"

"I need another Chevalier to help Amshel and Nathan protect my babies, and I was thinking of you."

Although he was recovering from the initial shock of Diva's request, Kai was still reeling slightly. How stupid was this girl? She had killed his little brother, she'd as good as killed his father and was now trying to kill Saya, the only family he had left. And she was asking him to become her chevalier, a creature that would protect her and do her every bidding at the cost of its own life?

"Not a chance," Kai practically thought out loud.

"You know, Kai, if you become my Chevalier, you can make babies with Saya. I bet that changes your mind, huh?"

"You shut up!" he yelled, a surge of rage overwhelming him. "Saya's my sister and I would never…" he choked on his words, what he'd been about to say turning into a low growl at the back of the throat while he calmed himself as much as he could. "I would never do what you did to Riku, to Saya or to anyone else!"

Diva giggled girlishly. "But he was so delicious. And I bet my big sister is, too. Why don't you find out for me, Kai? Besides," she continued at the outraged look on his face, "I bet she'd enjoy it."

In the next instant, Kai found the gun that had just been in its holster suddenly in his hand and pointed straight at Diva's head. Her expression suddenly changed, not to one of fear, but to one of cold anger and intense curiosity.

"Go ahead and shoot me, if you resent me so much," she said in a pouty voice, although her eyes flickered with evil intent. "Go ahead and pull the trigger, Kai," Diva moved the barrel of Kai's pistol from her forehead to her heart, and Kai felt the palms of his hand begin to sweat. The temptation to do exactly what she'd just told him was almost overpowering, even though he knew it wouldn't kill her. But the satisfaction of putting a bullethole in Diva's chest would at least release some of his anger toward her. If it weren't for Diva, he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't have had to read Joel's diary and wouldn't have had to watch Saya get up every say for the sole purpose of fighting, something his sister hated with her entire being. If it weren't for Diva, Saya wouldn't be so close to losing hope. And if it weren't for Diva, he wouldn't have lost his family and he wouldn't be so close to losing Saya…

But just as his train of thought was becoming almost hysterical, Diva moved the gun down again, and Kai was suddenly horrorstruck to see it pointed straight at her belly. He jerked the gun away, staring at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled as a smile spread slowly over Diva's face.

"If you hate me so much, Kai, why don't you go ahead and kill my babies as well? They're a part of me, after all."

"I'd never do that," Kai said instinctively, only remembering as an afterthought that, being Chiroptera, they probably wouldn't die without Saya's blood. But still, they were _babies_, and the though of holding a gun to them made him feel sick—even if they were inside his sworn enemy.

"Even if it would help Saya-neesama?" Diva smirked, watching Kai's face closely. This new piece of information seemed to have sparked her interest.

They were interrupted, however, as Saya suddenly phased through the air and knocked them apart. Amshel was on her in an instant, knocking her sword away and putting his arm around her throat from behind.

"Saya!" Kai cried, but someone else was calling her name as well. Haji flew down to try and wrestle Saya away from Amshel, but Nathan appeared behind him, effectively pulling the man off and pinning both arms behind his back with one of his own Chiropteran arms.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Nathan said flirtatiously, using his other transformed arm to tighten his grip around Haji's neck, nearly crushing the chevalier's windpipe.

"Stop! Let them go!" Kai cried, finger on the trigger. Diva's blue eyes glowed maliciously as she held up her hand lazily, commanding Nathan and Amshel not to kill… yet.

"You can't make me, if I really want to kill my sister. You can't stop me."

Cold sweat trickled down Kai's forehead—he knew she was right. He had a gun, but that wouldn't even stop her Chevaliers. All Diva needed to kill his sister was one drop of blood, and Saya would die, helpless in Amshel's grip. Even the Chevalier holding her now looked ready to kill. Kai knew they were monsters capable of murder, just waiting for Diva's signal to slowly draw the life out of her. All Diva's Chevaliers wanted Saya dead, but, unlike Karl, their fallen brother who succumbed to madness and eventually dug his own grave, they would wait for Diva's word before making a move.

But the childlike girl with such a striking resemblance to Saya had stopped her pawns from hurting her 'big sister' as Kai had cried out. Yelling for them to stop was more of a reflex than anything else, but for some reason, it had worked.

"What will you do to save her, Kai?" Diva taunted, moving forward slowly. "Tell me what you'll do to free her. Would you become my Chevalier?"

Kai's stomach dropped about a foot. She had him cornered—if he said yes, he would betray Saya… and if he refused, he would watch his sister die before his eyes.

At that moment, Kai's dilemma was interrupted as Solomon phased through the air and knocked Amshel to the ground. Amshel brought Saya down with him, but his shock loosened his grasp and she broke free, diving for her sword. Before she could reach it, however, Diva appeared in front of her and stepped down, crushing the hand reaching for her sword. Saya cried out in pain, an agonized, heart-wrenching sound that resonated through Kai's entire being, and Solomon rushed forward with his Chiropteran arm out in front of him. Nathan was there in an instant, blocking Solomon's blow as their arms crossed in front of Diva. She stood there calmly, but her blue eyes were now glowing and she was glaring steadily at Solomon.

"That wasn't very nice, Solomon," Diva said, her voice whiny but suddenly quiet, with no trademark pout on her face.

"I can't let you harm Saya," replied Solomon, his voice equally quiet but less angry. He sounded almost sorrowful, Kai noticed. What was he doing? The last time he'd checked, Solomon was one of Diva's Chevaliers, not Saya's… and yet here he was, wielding a sword against her in Saya's defense. What the hell was going on?

"Fine," said Diva to her insubordinate Chevalier, "But if you're going to ruin my fun, then I'll just have to ruin yours. Nathan, Amshel," she ordered, her voice suddenly very commanding. "Kill him."

Kai's mind boggled—Diva seemed to have forgotten about Saya for the moment, which was a relief, but this was disturbing at a level he hadn't anticipated. Kai had no sympathy for Diva's chevaliers, but he saw the slight hesitation on Nathan and Amshel's part and couldn't help feeling sick. Chevaliers were like siblings; asking Nathan and Amshel to kill Solomon would be like Saya asking Haji to kill Riku... not that it mattered now that his younger brother was dead. He could barely fathom what an order like that must feel like, but then again, he was on a different side, and Saya wasn't anything like her sister. Except for their physical appearance, and of course, their actual blood relation, the two sisters could be considered exact opposites. Saya was kind and only fought to diminish evil, while Diva was cruel and selfish and relished in the suffering of others. Now the latter sister stood impatiently, watching Nathan and Amshel advance toward Solomon.

"Wait!" Saya cried from the ground, her compassion getting the better of her, but it was too late. Now in his true form, Amshel gave the first blow. Solomon tried to block but Amshel's claws slashed across his face, leaving a set of gaping red streaks. Nathan attacked a split second later, countering from behind and hitting Solomon across his unprotected back, knocking him to the ground.

Saya scrambled to her feet, unsure of what to do but with her sword finally back in her hand. Haji rushed to her side, stepping in front of her to protect her from getting caught in the crossfire of the battle.

At that moment, Solomon's eye was caught by Haji's movement and he was distracted. It was only for a split second, but it was long enough for Amshel to knock him to the ground. Amshel and Nathan both advanced as the chevalier spit blood onto the ground and braced himself. Both chevaliers pinned him to the ground, Amshel holding Solomon in a chokehold.

"You shouldn't have left us, Solomon," said Nathan grimly, "You shouldn't have betrayed our Diva."

"I did what I had to," Solomon gasped, straining against Amshel's grip.

"No, you did what you wanted to." Nathan sighed. "You should have obeyed Diva, dear brother. Then this would have such a happier ending. It's such a pity to see you go…" Nathan's voice suddenly changed from high and flamboyant to angry, a deep undertone revealing just how upset he was, "Over something so foolish."

"It may be foolish," Solomon replied, trying not to choke as Amshel's grip tightened, "But I… I love her." His eyes darted to Saya, who was standing, horrorstruck, looking on at the scene and wondering what in the hell to do. Unfortunately, while looking at Saya, Solomon hadn't realized just how livid Diva was becoming listening to their conversation. The girl's eyes were glowing bright blue and she stepped forward silently, in between Nathan and Solomon.

"Amshel, drop him," she commanded, her voice sounding strangely borderline hysterical, as though she were a child about to throw a hissy fit. Amshel did as he was told, leaving Solomon in a crumpled heap on the ground. Diva stood directly over him, her short black hair falling forward and partially covering her glowing eyes. "Why do you love Saya-neesama and not me?" she asked quietly, actually waiting for a response. Solomon avoided her eyes, lowering his head heavily in shame.

Needless to say, this did not satisfy Diva. The girl reared back and hit Solomon with as much force as she could, sending him flying about ten feet, where he hit his head on part of the stage and blood began to trickle from the back of his head. Suddenly, Diva's demeanor seemed to change entirely. A small grin appeared on her face and she giggled, as though they had just been playing a game. "I'm much prettier than her, anyway. Isn't that right, Nathan?"

Slightly taken aback, Nathan only needed a moment to recover before answering. "Of course, my lovely Diva," he replied, back to using his usual flirtatious tone.

"Anyway, she's silly," said Diva, somewhat bitterly, throwing a pointed glance at her blood sister. Thoroughly confused, Saya simply stood with her sword at the ready, trying to judge whether or not the girl was about to lash out at her, Kai, or Haji next… or even at another one of her chevaliers. But instead, Diva turned her back on the scene and looked over her shoulder at the fallen, bleeding Solomon.

"I'm bored, now. Let's go."

With those words, Nathan scooped Diva up into his arms and he, Diva, and Amshel phased through the air and out of sight. Haji moved forward as if to follow, but Saya put a hand on his arm.

"Wait," she said softly, "We can't go after them. Not now," she added, with a pointed look at the fallen chevalier. Solomon was bleeding profusely and looked dazed, most likely on the edge of unconsciousness. "We can't just leave him here."

Kai was furious at this statement. "Saya, you and Haji go after Diva. We'll make sure he doesn't escape," he added with a growl and a look that plainly said he'd like to kick the blonde man lying on the ground. But Saya shook her head.

"He risked his life for me. He might have been one of Diva's chevaliers, but he put himself in harm's way to protect me. I can't just leave him here. Besides," she added, turning toward the horizon in the direction her sister had disappeared, "Diva's probably too far away by now to catch up with her."

Kai stifled another growl; if only Saya hadn't held Haji back, maybe that wouldn't have been the case… but he couldn't really blame his sister. This man, Solomon, did look the worse for wear. He would probably have to receive a blood transfusion for his wounds to heal, but even then he would need time to recover from the attack.

From how he'd looked when he'd first appeared tonight, Kai thought Solomon probably hadn't received any blood lately. He'd had that sickly, pale look Saya got when it had been awhile since her last transfusion. Then again, Kai knew he probably shouldn't be surprised. He knew how Diva's chevaliers attained the blood they needed to regenerate, and it sure as hell wasn't through transfusions. If Diva had gotten wind of Solomon's betrayal before tonight, who knew how long he'd gone without feeding?

Kai wasn't too fond of Diva's chevaliers, that was for damn sure, but he also realized that for Solomon to look so weak meant he probably hadn't been preying on humans in the absence of his usual source of sustenance. If that was true… Kai dismissed the thought from his mind. Solomon might proclaim to love Saya now, but he once chose to be the chevalier of the person who made his sister's life a living hell, and Kai didn't want to think of him as anything else but evil after that… even if stopping himself from taking his natural prey on principle alone could be considered nothing short of noble.

Saya was looking down at Solomon with an expression akin to pity when Haji moved silently to her side.

"Saya," he said softly, and she read the unspoken question in his eyes with ease. The girl sighed and looked back down. They couldn't just leave him here, not after what he'd done for her.

"We'll take him with us," Saya said finally. Normally, Kai would have balked at this statement, but he thought for a moment before opening his mouth to argue. True, that would mean Solomon would see where they were staying, and he could easily betray their location to Diva… but after what he'd witnessed tonight, he was fairly positive that Solomon and Diva were not exactly on speaking terms. The greatest danger Solomon posed to Saya and Red Shield was the fact that if Diva changed her mind and came looking for him, it could put his little sister in danger if the two of them were together. However, Kai knew his sister, and he knew she was not about to budge.

"Alright," said Kai grudgingly. "But he's sleeping in my room so I can keep an eye on him."

Saya nodded after a moment. There was no reason why Solomon couldn't sleep in Kai's room, although she found it a little strange that he'd want to take the extra precaution when they both knew that Haji wouldn't be sleeping anyway. The Chevalier always stayed in wakefulness, even during the night, constantly watching over Saya as she slept. But although he could just as easily be listening out for the newest addition of their apartment, having Solomon sleep in Kai's room would help with the space, or rather lack thereof, in the dilapidated flat they'd rented.

"Alright. Let's go," said Saya, turning away from the scene. Haji scooped Solomon up into his arms, the most convenient place for him considering the cello case he always wore across his back. Kai followed them closely, never taking his eyes off Diva's fallen chevalier as they walked away from the scene and back to the van where Luis would be waiting for them.


End file.
